All he could do
by Vermillion Serpent
Summary: ONESHOT! Demon ichor dripped from the edges of the feathered staff clenched in Alec's hand, dribbling down onto the pale skin of his hand, fizzing and burning the flesh as it came into contact. But he wasn't focusing on that. Where was Izzy?


**All he could do - A Mortal Instruments Fanfic  
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**Genre: Tragedy/Family  
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**Rating: T**

**Authoress: Loki**

**Notes: **Happy Halloween! Okay, so this isn't scary, but it's linked to my Halloween costume. My (attempted) Izzy costume was based on the ending of this story. I was happy with the make-up but didn't really get any good pictures, other than one of my brother jumping at me with a REAL knife which was terrifying. Haha, hope you enjoy my first TMI fanfic and hope you have a great Halloween!

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own TMI, I'm afraid; nor would I want to as the wonderful plot is in the hands of the amazing Cassandra Clare. I do, however, own this plot piece.

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><p>Blood or sweat trickled from his forehead in beads and the sting of a fresh wound cut into his cheek. His breath was rough and ragged and his muscles burned in agony when he moved. Demon ichor dripped from the edges of the feathered staff clenched in Alec's hand, dribbling down onto the pale skin of his hand, fizzing and burning the flesh as it came into contact. But he wasn't focusing on that. The pain was numbed with a sense of fear and doubt.<p>

Hoardes of demons had sprouted up from the shadows, ambushing the group of Nephilim as they returned from a relaxed dinner at Taki's restaurant. The group had been out training on Central Park earlier that day and with Maryse at a meeting with the Clave and unable to cook they had immediately scorned the idea of letting Isabelle cook and had headed to Taki's straight away. On their way home the demons had attacked.

They were lucky to have their weapons with them.

The demons started out in a small group. They had jumped down onto them from building sides where Alec guessed they had been hanging from in wait and they were quickly disposed of by Jace's Seraph blade, _Sanvi_. Finding it odd that the demons would attack in such a way, Alec had suggested that they should head back to the Institute as fast as they could so to notify the adults. Isabelle had agreed but Jace had been distracted by something hidden in the dark shadows of an alleyway.

He had worn a scowl that had chilled Alec to the bone.

Had he been a mundane, Alec would have suggested that Jace had simply seen a nest of rat's eyes gleaming scarlet in the darkness. But he wasn't a mundane - he was a Shadowhunter. Isabelle had shreiked with surprise when the ruby pendant resting on her chest had suddenly pulsed and burned against her skin and at the same time Jace's hand had tightened around the hilt of the blade and his eyes had set into a strange combination of determination, amusement and just a tiny twinge of anxiety.

What came next was almost expected.

The demons had swarmed like a plague of locusts and in an instant the trio were thrown into a ferocious battle. Both blood and ichor was splattered over the buildings surrounding them and flooded the pavement. They never stopped coming.

The Nephilim children danced through the crowds of snarling creatures; Jace's blades slicing arcs into the air; Isabelle's whip cracking and bursting open deep wounds on grotesque skin; Alec's staff beating the beasts away from his siblings. It seemed to last for hours and their skins were beginning to burn from the splattering demon blood and under the constant application of speed, stamina and healing runes that were the only things to keep them fighting under the persistant attacks. Their numbers were slowly decreasing and it was almost uncanny that the speed in which they fell was so slow. But it was happening, Alec assured himself, the numbers were falling and he was protecting both Jace and Isabelle. That was all that mattered.

It was only after Alec had been thrown back with a heavy blow to the chest that he had realised he was only protecting one sibling. His blue eyes had widened and their deep blue had paled with his anxiety. He saw Jace skillfully plough through three advancing Moloch demons with an almost graceful ease and was briefly reassured that the blonde was most likely going to be safe for a while. He rarely got tired in a battle. Or at least he never showed it. Alec had pushed himself up and grasped his feathered staff tightly, searching for his sister.

He couldn't find her amongst the throng of demons.

His heart fumbled in his chest and his already heavy breathing became sharp and frantic as his eyes searched desperately for the long dark hair of his sister. He called out to Jace, beating off a pair of Iblis demons that also responded to his cry, "Jace!"

"Kinda busy here Alec, thought you'd have noticed that!" the other replied, wrestling with a huge slinky, black feline-shaped creature with claws pawing dangerously at Jace's neck.

Alec ignored his sarcasm, too scared to be agitated by it, "Jace where's Isabelle?"

Throwing off the demon and plunging _Sanvi_ into the chest of the beast, Jace's tawny eyes turned concerned and he glanced through the demon pack quickly before they met with Alec's blue. He shook his head, "I don't know, I thought she was fighting a Scorprious demon just over there!" he called back pointing, before wrenching the Seraph blade from his previous opponent and engaging in a violent assault on another demon.

Alec's head whipped over to the area Jace had indicated and he felt his heart drop another level with the missing form of his sister. He darted over, leaping over a pile demon ashes, searching for her.

"Izzy!" he called, bringing the staff up to ward off more demons. There was a significant dent in their numbers now and Alec had no doubt that Jace could finish them off in no time. There were only two dozen or so left. He knew he should concentrate on the demons first and look for Isabelle afterwards but his concern for his younger sibling had already taken over his mind. He shoved the demons into the path of his adopted brother who had managed to get hold of an Oni demon and was holding it so it's tusks were jutting out in front of him and was charging through the others, skewering the confused beasts on the sharpened bones. At any other time, Alec would have found this rather amusing, but right now he was panicking. He gritted his teeth and swung his foot up to ram it into the jaw of a demon clutching onto his staff with it's clawed hands and snapped at his head with it's needle-like teeth. The demon howled and fell back to be impaled by a discarded Seraph blade sticking out of a twitching demon body. Alec didn't wait to watch it disappear. He stepped back into a dark alley in the hope that Isabelle had simply run through it and was taking care of a demon through the shadows, but something prodding the back of his mind told him to expect the worst. He heard the cry of a demon, the heavy wet _splack_ as it hit the ground and Jace's sigh of relief. The demons were gone.

"Izzy!" Alec cried frantically, "Izzy where are y-"

"A-Alec..?" The blue-eyes of the Shadowhunter widened and dilated and he twisted on his feet, recognising the familiar feminine voice. She sounded like she was in pain and it twisted Alec's heart almost agonizingly.

But it didn't compare to the jolt he felt when he saw her.

Her perfect make-up was smeared, her hair wet and sticky; clinging to her mucky skin. Blood, dirt and ichor mixed with her tears and ran in streams down her face, leaving trails in her scarred and bleeding skin. Tears bubbled in her eyes and her dirty hand stretched out toward Alec in despiration. But what caught Alec's stare and released his own tears was the huge bloody gash across her throat. Dark tinted blood gushed from the tear in her flesh and ran down her shirt in streams.

"I-Iz..." he whispered, beginning to shiver in utter shock and pain. Her knees buckled beneath her and Alec leapt forward to catch her. He fell to his knees holding Isabelle in a tight but shaking embrace. He could feel her blood seeping through his jeans and he panicked: she was loosing so much blood. He took her hand and squeezed it, earning a weak smile from her, "Jace!" Alec screamed, releasing Isabelle's hand and fumbling in his pockets to search for his Stele. He heard his sister whisper and saw her eyes starting to close and his panic spiked, "Iz, Izzy come on stay awake." He shook her gently and her eyes opened again lazily, "Stay awake okay? I'll draw an _iratze_ and you'll be fine, okay?" He saw her nod slowly but there was no definition to his words - even _he _didn't believe them. Her form blurred as tears covered his eyes and rapid footsteps propelled themselves toward the Lightwoods before Jace skidded and fell to his knees beside them.

"Isabelle! Izzy, is she okay?" he asked, panic lacing through his voice as he searched Alec's eyes for the answer.

"Your Stele, Jace.." The older boy replied shakily. Jace handed the thin silver stylus and Alec took it with shaking hands and pressed the tip down onto Isabelle's crimson-stained skin. She hissed and her chest arched in pain and then she fell limp in his arms again. Her dark eyes started to lose all of their life as she looked up at her brothers.

"..so tired now... love you.. Alec.. Jace.. Max... Mom... Dad..." Alec shook his head at her as her breathing shallowed. He shook her.

"Izzy, no wake up! Please Iz, don't give up! Please... Izzy!"

Jace could only stare as her breath slowly left her and she fell still in her brother's arms. Alec screamed at her to wake up, his voice pleading and broken with tears and all Jace could do was watch.

He felt sick.

Not even his sister could make him cry.. and it was his brother could do.


End file.
